Diving apparatus



.Y. MATSUMURA.

'DIVINGAPPARATUS.

AP FUCATION FILED AUG.I4, 191B.

' 5 SHEETS-SHEET I.

gum Whoa Patented Apr. 26,1921.

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Patented A r. 26, 1921 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

8 141m vvtoz Y. MATSUMURA.

DIVING APPARATUS.

I APPLICATIQN FILE D AUG.14 1918. v l,3'?5,7l59 Patented Apr. 26; 1921 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

wane/Jo Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5- Y. MATSUMURA.

DIVING APPARATUS. APPLICATION man AUG. 14, 1918. 1,375,715a

UhliE stares YOSHIO MATS'UIJZ'URA, OF TOKYO, JAPAN.

DIVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 26, 1921.

Application filed August 14, 1918. Serial No. 249,890.

To all whom 2'23 may concern:

Be it known that l, Yosnro l /LaTsUMURA, a subject of the Emperor of Japan, and a resident of No. 624: Elorilziri, ll iinami-lrat SUSllllGl G'U'fl, Tokyo, Empire of Japan, have invented new a d useful improvements in Diving frpparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in diving apparatus for use in working among wrecks or other like subaqueous objects, and co rises hermetically closed casing hereinamer called a shell, containing necessary machines, implements and other appliances including air supplying and water exhausting means, so that the apparatus can be lowered from vessel and held at the level ad acent to the wreck or other submerged objects, to enable a diver to make his exit from a room which is specially provided for him in one part of the said casing to work at the wreck or other submerged objects. The invention also conn ses means whereby air, approximately at atmospheric pressure, can be supplied. to the diver, regardless of the depth of water.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and more readily carried into practice, reference may be had to the appended drawings, in which lligure l is a side elevation of the shell.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central sectional view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of thp same on a plane intersecting the maneuvering chamber.

lfiio 4. is a transverse sectional plan view of the power chamber.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional plan view of the machine chamber.

Fig. 6 is a detail View showingv the openinn and closing mechanism of the door.

Fin. 7 is a side elevation of the air pump, partly broken away to expose the interior.

Fig. 8 is a plan thereof.

Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional plan of the purifier.

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal section of the purifier.

in the drawings illustrating the construction and application of the invention, the numeral 1 designates a cylindrical casing or shell preferably made of plate iron or other like strong material su'ficient to withstand great water pressure. Partitioned by two floorings A, A, the shell is internally separated into three compartments, viz., maneuvering chamber 2, power chamber 3, and machine chamber 4:, respectively.

in the lowermost chamber 4, an inner wall 6 spaced from the outer wall of the shell is provided so as to form an annularly inclosed space 7 thereof as shown in Figs. 2 and 5. A portion of this machine chamber 1} is further partitioned by longitudinal Wall E, thereby providing a room 5 for the diver to occupy and from which he can pass out to work through the door-way which is provided in the inner and outer walls of the shell, as at 9.

In the door-way 9 slidably fits a rectangular curved door 8 which is provided with an opening 9' corresponding to the size of the door-way 9, and which moves in the said annular space 7, thereby causing the door way 9 to be opened when the door 8 is moved to the position in which no portion of the opening 9 is covered by both inner and outer walls of the shell, but closed when the door 8 is moved to the position in which the opening 9 is covered by both the inner and outer walls of the shell.

The opening and closingmovement may be imparted to the door 8 by any suitable means but I have shown by way ofexample in Fig. 6 one most simple and convenient means which consists in providing at each of the four corners of the door 8 a laterally extending rack 10 adapted to engage a cor responding pinion l1 turning on the axis connecting with the shaft in the power ch amber as will appear later. To facilitate the movement the guideway 12 with which the sliding; edges of the curved door 8 engage, may be provided with anti-friction rollers as at 13.

Secured to the under side of the base plate C of the shell is a flaring bowl-like member 13 adapted to receive the water which may enter the divers room and other parts of the shell in the manner hereinafter described, said member forming a bilge water chamber 14. The said member 13 has a central recessed portion 15 in which upper and lower contact carriers each consisting of an electrically insulated hollow cylinder 16, and an interposed compression 17, are disposed. Each cylinder is provided at its inner surface with a contact piece 18, the contacting and detaching action of which cally driven through the manipulation of the switch 32 and controller 37. The motor transmits by belt motion to the main shaft 42 horizontally disposed upon the floor of the chamber, a portion of which shaft passes through the bore of the sleeve shaft 42. [is this latter shaft is provided at one end with a pulley 43 and as the main shaft 42 is likewise provided with a pulley 43, it is obvious that by the provision of a hand or electrically operable belt-shifter, the motion transmitted from the motor onto the pulley 43 can be shifted to the pulley 43, and vice versa. It is also obvious that by setting the pulley 43 in motion the main shaft 42 is rotated while the pulley 43 rotates the sleeve shaft 42. This shaft 42 is used to drive both vacuum pump 50 and bilge pump 49, while the main shaft is used to operate the door 8 of the divers room, motion being transmitted from the shaft 42 to the shafts 44, 44 by means of a belt K mounted upon the respective pulleys L, secured to each end of the main shaft. It will be observed that as the shaft 44 is geared directly with the shaft which carries the pinion 11 while the other shaft 44 is geared indirectly through the medium of an intermediate shaft 44 with the pinion .11, it is possible to rotate both pinions 11 and 11 in opposite directions so as to cause the door 8 to move in either direction, to open or closed position.

[it 41 is represented another motor adapted to drive the air pump. This motor is provided to prevent the working of the air pump being discontinued during the operation of the door.

The machine chamber 4 contains, as shown conventionally in Fig. 5. acetylene tank 45, oxygen tank 46 for working tools, oxygen tank 47 for purifying the air, air pump 48, bilge pump 49, vacuum pump 50, vacuum tank 51, compressed air tank 52, purifier 53.

The acetylene tank 45 and oxygen tank 46, respectively, are connected by pipes 54 and 54, with the worl'ring implements not shown. The purifier 53 is connected with the oxygen tank 47 by means of a pipe 55. The purifier is further connected with the vacuum tank 51 by means of a pipe 55. The purifier is shown still further connected with the compressed air tank 52 by means of a pipe 56.

The purifier is shown still further connected by means of two pipes 57 with the air pump 48 which in turn connects also by means of two other pipes 57 with the divers suit so that the air is enabled to be' drawn and supplied from the purifier to the diver, and the vitiated air passed back to the purifier.

The bilge pump 49 is connected by means of a pipe 58 with the bilge water chamber 14. The divers room is connected by means of a pipe 59 with the compressed air tank 52. v

The air pump 48 which differs in con struction from the ordinary device is illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8 wherein each of two cylinders juxta Josedly arranged in vertical position are internally divided by means of a central partition 61 into two chambers 64, 64, respectively, adapted to receive therein a valve loaded piston 62, 62', both carried by the same spindle 63. The action is such that while the vitiated air is drawn into one chamber the clean air received by the other chamber is drawn'out therefrom and supplied to the diver, but in the next stage of stroke the vitiated air received by the first named chamber is drawn out therefrom into the purifier and at this instant the last named chamber receives the clean air. This motion of the pump being alternate and simultaneous with respect to two cylinders affords the supply of clean air to the diver continuously.

The purifier used in the present invention is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, comprising a hollow casing in which are arranged superimpcsedly two drawers, as at 66. lfn the lower drawer is installed an electric heater of any appropriate form. The upper drawer which has a perforated bottom, comprises a plurality of wire nettings 67 arranged in spaced order one upon the other, and each of which nettings is filled with natrium peroxid with the exception of the uppermost netting upon which is placed raw lime to absorb moisture. Located below the upper drawer are two pipes 56 and 68, respectively. The pipe 56 which connects the compressed air tank 52 is used to furnish fresh air to the purifier for use by the diver. The pipe 68 which connects to the nose of the diver is used to draw into the purifier the vitiated air exhaled by the diver, which vitiated air after being filtered and clarified through the natrium peroxid is returned to the diver by way of the supply pipe 69. The pipe 55 which connects the oxygen tank 47 is used to furnish oxygen into the purifier.

Referring again to Fig. 2, a bilge water valve 70 is provided in the base plate C of the machine chamber 4, the spindle 70 of which valve is shown elongated to pass upwardly through two floors A, B, to be manipulated by the operator in the maneuvering chamber 1. To facilitate repairing or in other emergencies, so that the operator may be able to gain access to the machines, a tunnel tube 71 internally equipped with a suitable step ladder 7 3 is provided. At 72, Fig. 3, is shown a cover to be placed over the tunnel opening. Upon the floor 76 of the divers room 5 is provided an exhaust valve which is operable by the foot of the diver sitting upon the rotatable chair 7st. The pressing and releasing action of the loot enables the velveto he opened or closed so that the water filled in the room 5 before the diver makes his exit will be emptied into the bilge Water chamber 113011 his return to the room, the door 5 at this moment being closed him as he enters the 1'00111. ll hile exhausting the Water out of the divers room an adequate quantity of Water should he supplies from the compressed air tank 59, into room, to protect the diver from the ellects of the sudden change of the pressure in the room.

In practice, the apparatus is thoroughly exan'iined on board vessel. After ascertain ing that all parts are in order the ope ator enters through the opening into the me neuvering chamber, While the diver, properly armored and equipped, en"ers his rooin 5. The opening l) and the door 8 being then closed and the machines being set in motion, the shell is put overboard and lovvered by means of the cable 26 into the place Where the Wreck or other object to be operated upon is located. The door is then opened and the outside water is caused to enter into the room to equalize the inside pressure when the diver makes his exit to engage at Work. Upon the divers return to the room the door is closed and the vvnter is drawn therefrom into the bilge Water chamber 14.

My improved apparatus supplies the diver With air at approximately atmospheric pres sure and When the apparatus is used in connection With an armor of my invention for which I am about to file application for Let-- ters Patent of the United States, enables the diver to Work Without inconvenience in Water at great depth.

The provision of the purifier perinits not only the reduction of the compressed but at the same time facilitates the circula- F18, a shell having an outer wall witl'i it door opening '1 2r r W i ZLLLU an e n spsco noel tne outer J Y 'r f 'v 1c. 0 having a door opening oppov the outer wall, a slicing door I oe seen the inner and i v 1 ml eds ano h v 11 opening adapted 4i i J41. 1. m r I see with he inst named ope-rings reclzs.

Iln diving aratus, a shellhaving an Well p; vided with door opening i an inner wall spaced from the outer n q (enrol.

between the inner an opening adapted to with the n "t nained openings when said door in one osition, and also 'ing reeks and operating means for the do r, incluoine' which engage said raclzs and a motor.

ln testimonv whereof I allix my signature in presence or two Witnesses.

YUSHIG l -LEZLTSUMUBA.

vi itnesses v rlinnn'rnnii Ynsnirnnn, NAAMAsA OKAMURA. 

